Barrel charring, process and apparatus



April 1950 E. E. RICHARDS 2,503,688

BARREL CHARRING, PROCESS AND APPARATUS Filed Nov. 17 1948 INVEN TOR. f0 WHKD 5am f/m/mps.

Patented Apr. 11, 1950 BARREL CHAR/RING, PROCESS AND APPARATUS A Edward Earl Richards, Terre Haute, Ind., as-

' signor to Terre Haute Cooperage, Inc., Terre Haute, Ind., a corporation Application November 17, 1948, Serial No. 60,579

This invention relates to the method of and apparatus for the non-leaking charring of wood barrels and the like.

The chief object of the present invention is to protect the area about the bung hole of a wood barrel and the walls of said hole when said barrel is being charred thereby preserving the thickness of the stave at the bung hole and the wall of that hole. This eliminates barrel failure which appears in the form of cracks at the outer edge of the bung hole caused by the pressure from the bung itself when driven home.

The chief feature of the present invention resides in preventing the area about the wall of the bung hole becoming charred during the charring process.

The foregoing isaccomplished by boring the bung hole before charring and then applying a protective shield comprising a convex metal disk.

a handle mount and handle attached thereto for clamping the disk to the bung hole stave.

Other objects and features of the invention will be set forth more fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be under stood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a barrel stave having a bung hole therein.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l and in the direction of the arrows with the protective device applied.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and in the direction of the arrows with the protective device applied.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the protective device of clamp lever type.

In the whiskey distilling industry it is necessary to age the whiskey in charred wooden barrels from 4 to 6 years. The charred barrels are necessary for the purification and aging of the liquor. White oak is the best barrel medium.

The ordinary manner of charring barrels is to burn the wood on the inside of the barrel to approximately a depth of to /8 and then the bung hole is bored. This makesthe stave containing the bung hole the weakest stave of the barrel and frequently results in -barrel failure particularly with respect to leakage.

Barrel failure is caused by the serrations that appear from the uneven burning of the wood combined with the pressure created by the bung when inserted. This failure appears in the form of cracks usually extending from" the outer edge of the bung hole.

5 Claims. (Cl. 263-50) The aforesaid failure has been eliminated by the use of a hung hole protective device while the barrel is being charred.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing It] indicates a convex J disk having rigidly secured thereto a handle mount I I and a handle l2 attached to said mount by a pivot I3. The forward portion [2a of said handle is of such a length that it can be nested in the mount. The long section of said handle has a curved portion I 2b forming a camming surface for clamping the disk to the stave. This curved portion I2!) is shown more clearly in Fig. 3 and said portion is disposed immediately adjacent the outer edge of the bung hole M in the bung stave thereby assuring the greatest possible leverage. Usually the handle is disposed in depending relation for gravity maintenance of the same.

An open ended barrel is bored at the approximate longitudinal center of one stave and thus provided with the aforesaid bung hole It. To this extent preboring diifers from subsequent boring after charring the standard practice.

Before charring the prebored barrel, the handle of the device is raised to a position in which the forward portion l2a is nested in the handle mount H. The handle is then passed through the bung hole M from the inside of the barrel and the device is clamped to the barrel as shownin Fig. 3.

The upper side or the side of the metal disk Ill that is adjacent the inside of the barrel is slightly convex as stated to conform to the shape of the stave as shown in Fig. 2. When the handle is clamped down there is a tight fit of the disk upon the stave.

When the device has been firmly clamped to the barrel the inside of the barrel is charred in any conventional manner, there being several methods such as flaming from the top, flaming from the bottom, or by a coke, etc. fire disposed interiorly of the barrel.

The result is that all of the wood, except that portion around the bung hole and the bung wall, upon the interior of the barrel is charred. Fig. 1 shows the results of thecharring process.

Thus the bung stave is only weakened to the extent that the hole per se weakens that stave. The barrel then, when charred, has a smooth bung wall and the wood surface at the inner end of the bung hole is not weakened because it is not charred. Therefore when a bung is applied to the hole, leakage, stave cracking, etc. does not occur.

The foregoing is set forth by way of example only and is not to be considered restrictive in character for other shields may be utilized although that specified herein has been found to be most satisfactory for it has sufficient body to bung hole mounting and of an area greater than the area of the bung hole, tapered, shield locating means carried by said shield and disposable in the bung hole, and articulated means passable prevent charring of the surface protected by it 5 through the bung hole and connectible to said and does not disintegrate under the flaming action and furtherrhas the advantage that it is easily applied and;-removed and of course-can be reused repeatedly.

The invention claimed is: 1. A bung hole protective devicefor ood bartapered means and disposable exteriorly oi the bung hole, said exterior means'maintaining the shield in hole protecting position.

5. A bung hole protective device for wood bara zglo'emls to be charred comprising a shield adapted for bung hole mounting and of an area greater than ziithe z area -of the bung, tapered, shield locating barrel engaging surface substantially conforming means carried by said shield and adapted for disto the interior curvature ofthe barrelettne buns ..-.-;p0si:ti.01 i t bun h l and l n at d lamp hole portion thereof, a handle mount rigidurwithull; rming rmeansgjcompletely disposable exteriorly said shield and disposable within the bung hole, and a handle pivoted on the, mount; remote from the shield and at a distance therefrom sufficient to dispose said handle, when the device Bis-barrel mounted, alongside the; ,barrel exterior. go

, :irilzedev ce; asedeflned by cla m; lwmn inrth hand1eis cu v deand th ;m unt;inc d paast p portion for cooperation =with;,the ;pivoted;end;; of

the-.rhandlesio 1' clamp formeti nw th th rishi ld- 43 :A deviceyas zdefined-by claim 2 whereinwthe, 25

rels to be charred comprising a--shield"hav-in ;a

., ,gperativelyassociated with said first mentioned means.

EDWARD EARL RICHARDS.

,-.taEEERENoustQITED i {Eheflollowins referencestareof record inazthe file of this :patent:

-UNITED STATES PATENTS ,lzelstozbechatred; comprising ashieldradapted for -rofithenbungsholewhen in clamping position and, 

